The chapter goes on to show how the 8 to 10 second rule has diverged into a faster rule for broadband users and a slower one for dial-up users. The chapter makes the case for fast response times, showing the negative effects of slow downloads.

As the average web page has tripled from 2003 to 2008 the number of objects has nearly doubled to 50 objects per page. Research has shown that object overhead now dominates web page delays. While broadband users have experienced slightly faster response times, dial-up users have been left behind. With these trends in mind, we give response time guidelines for broadband and narrowband users.

Akamai Technologies, http://www.akamai.com (accessed February 10, 2008). Based on the finding that 30% to 50% of transactions above the four-second threshold bail out, Akamai estimated that by reducing the percentage of transactions above this threshold from 40% to 10%, conversion rates will improve by 9% to 15%.